Mere days remain until the church’s designs on the city of water reach fruition. With no allied army on the way, Allen and Lydia prepare to fight alone against an array of deadly foes: a vampire who nearly killed them once before, a master of taboo sorcery, a lethal swordswoman, and two noblemen who hold the city in their grip. Behind them all looms the enigmatic Saint, who always seems to stay a step ahead of her opponents. Even victory on the battlefield may prove meaningless if Allen fails to unravel her schemes. But just when the odds seem insurmountable, the cavalry arrives in the form of Allen’s young students. Fresh from storming an impregnable fortress, the girls can’t wait to prove their worth and save their tutor. But how much difference can they make in this clash of legends? And can Allen bear to send them into battle, even with his own life on the line?

Bad news stuns the southern capital: a church plot has severed contact with the city of water, leaving Allen and Lydia stranded in the middle of enemy territory and a burgeoning civil war. And no aid can reach them while the impregnable Fortress of Seven Towers stands. To help their tutor, Allen’s students will need to overcome the greatest defenses that nature and human ingenuity can create without him—and they’ll need to work fast. Lynne Leinster, for one, doesn’t know if she has it in her. Despite her tough talk, the young noblewoman feels intimidated by her friends’ brilliance. What can she do that they can’t do better? She’ll need to find her answer soon, because this crisis will demand everything that the girls have to give. And all the while, a sinister conspiracy draws nearer to its goal.

After failing the final exam for his dream job at the royal court, promising young sorcerer Allen wants nothing more than to retreat to a simple life in the countryside. Unfortunately for him, he can’t even afford the train fare! His only solution is to get a job, but his one lead is anything but modest—Duke Howard, one of the kingdom’s most powerful nobles, needs a private tutor for his daughter Tina. Despite her academic brilliance, Tina is incapable of casting even a single spell. To make matters worse, entrance exams for the prestigious Royal Academy are fast approaching, and magical aptitude is mandatory! Can Allen use his unique brand of spellcasting to help Tina overcome her magical impairment, a mystery that not even the kingdom’s finest sorcerers have been able to solve? And does her father, the duke, even want him to?